Trump attacked American Jews at an event against anti-Semitism

Republican candidate Donald Trump is being criticized by Jewish organizations in the US following two speeches he gave last weekend, in which He blamed the Jewish community for his possible loss in the election, saying that the Jewish voters did not treat him “properly”. The former president criticized the Jewish-American community repeatedly in recent months regarding its tendency to support the Democratic Party, alongside expressions of support for Jews and commitments to fight anti-Semitism and support Israel. “The Jewish voters didn’t treat me right. Do they know what the hell is going on? If I don’t win the election, the Jews will be responsible because 60% of them are voting for the enemy,” Trump said in a speech on Friday, adding: “40% voting for me is unacceptable, there We have an election to win. It pains me to say this, but you’re still going to vote for the Democrats, and it doesn’t make sense. Every Jew who votes for Harris should have his head checked, especially now.” Trump even emphasized that in light of his support for Israel, Jews in the US “have no excuse” not to support him.

Trump: Jewish people ought to have their heads examined. Who are these people? If I don’t win this election, the Jewish people would have a lot to do with that pic.twitter.com/nDzM8ySbLX

— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) September 20, 2024

 

 

 

The candidate said these things at two different conferences held on Friday, one of the Israeli-American Community Organization (IAC), and another conference for the fight against anti-Semitism. The Jews in the USA traditionally support the Democratic Party, and according to a survey by the PEW Institute, about 65% of American Jews intend to vote for Harris in the upcoming elections.

Some of the Jewish organizations in the US attacked Trump’s statements and defined them as anti-Semitic. “Trump used anti-Semitic and stereotypical statements. His speech will probably ignite more hostility. Blaming Jews for a potential election loss does not help American Jews,” said Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Chairman Jonathan Greenblatt.

The American Jewish Committee expressed a similar criticism: “Allowing people to say ‘we lost because of the Jews’ is inflammatory and dangerous. Thousands of years of blaming Jews have shown that this can lead to anti-Semitic hatred and violence.”

The campaign of Vice President Harris, whom Trump accused in his speeches of hating Israel, also attacked his words: “Trump is presenting an old anti-Semitic plot because he is weak and because he cannot tolerate the fact that the majority of Americans will reject him in November. We know that such words can have dangerous consequences.” . Harris’ husband, Doug Amhoff, added: “Trump has added fuel to the fire of anti-Semitism by placing the blame on Jews. This is dangerous and must be condemned.”

Last night, Donald Trump once again fanned the flames of antisemitism by trafficking in tropes blaming and scapegoating Jews. He even did it at an event purporting to fight antisemitism, no less. This is dangerous and must be condemned. We will not be intimidated and will…

— Doug Emhoff (@DouglasEmhoff) September 20, 2024

 

 

 

Alongside the attack on American Jews, Trump spoke at length in his speeches about his support for Israel and the Jewish community. The former president claimed that he was “your protector and the best friend of Jews who has ever been in the White House”, he told the families of the abductees that “it is impossible to imagine what you are going through – We are going to bring them back,” and pledged to deport “Hamas supporters” from the US.

Trump emphasized the steps he took in his first term for Israel, and pledged to continue a pro-Israel policy: “Under my leadership, America will once again stand shoulder to shoulder with our partner Israel. These are the most important elections in Israel’s history.”

The former candidate added: “As a Christian, I love Israel. I’m not just going to make America great again – I’m going to make Israel great again too! Israel used to be above politics, nobody said bad things about it. Today, you have to fight For Israel’s sake. It’s surprising, but I’ll fight for it, don’t worry.”